In The Time of Dragons Star Wars The Clone Wars
by Nera Core
Summary: As the Clone Wars rage on throughout the galaxy the Jedi hunter General Grievous finds himself trapped on the desolate planet with no means of communication with the rest of the galaxy. How long will the cyborg General last in a place filled with new dangers around every corner? Or will he feel right at home and begin to forget the war in which he is vital for success?
1. Chapter 1

The vast open plains of the desert seemed to stretch endlessly into the distant horizon. The lone rider was making her way across the mountains of sand that was constantly shifting and changing, never looking the same for more than a single moment.

Said rider, was named Alimae Lezormas, merely an average human. Despite being only a young adult, the fierce sun that mercilessly beat down upon the barren lands made her appear older. Her skin bore no wrinkling, but was tanned a light brown from the many hours exposed to the harsh rays of light. Her eyes were an uncharacteristic light blue shade, a rarity among the people that dwelled in the endless expanse of sand that was their home.

Not the entirety of the planet was consumed in sand; in fact it was perhaps the only place of its kind. The remainder of the planet was covered in forests, mountains and oceans, with the occasional volcano spewing molten rock and poisonous gasses into the atmosphere.

The populace of the planet were comprised of a human majority, with only the rare few being from further reaches off planet. These few were trapped on the planet, victims of shipwrecks, courtesy of their neighbouring black hole, and were known as outsiders. Perhaps the most curious creatures to name the planet home, were large reptilian creatures, that some called beasts, and others called monstrosities, but to the people of Arkainio they were known as something of striking brilliance, they were known as; Dragons.

Alimae was with such a creature, riding astride it as it trudged through the soft trails of sand. The dragon was known as a Harenam Ambulator, or in translation, a Sand Walker. The beast was named Dialbas and was one of Alimae's best steeds, essential for her travel through the desert due to its unique build. Sand Walkers were quadrupedal creatures that were a light brown in colouration and had thick scaled covering their hide to protect from the sun and, larger predators. Their colour gave them the ability to camouflage with the surrounding sand and rocks, both their best defence and means of hunting. They had long pointed snouts and thin bodies with a long neck and legs, which was fundamental for them to take in as much water as possible, while still being able to conserve it.

From the ends of their legs were feet consisting of four clawed toes and a single dew claw higher up on the inside of their front legs. Between each of the toes is hard webbing, which allows the dragons to walk over sand with ease. Their dew claws provide them with greater climbing abilities, as well as the other long talon like claws they possess.

While most people thought dragons to have large wings and the ability of flight, sand walkers had no such limbs or abilities, and instead appeared to be large lizards rather than fiery dragons.

The two thus far had been slowly wandering across the scorching wasteland for the most part of the day. They had left during the early hours of the morning, just as dawn was breaking and the sun began its steady climb into the cloudless sky.

Though some might had suspected the barren lands to be deprived of all signs of life, the land was in fact bristling with it, provided one knew where to look. Having spent her whole life in the place, Alimae knew more about the desert than she did about herself. She spent all long hours of the day out working in the desolate landscape.

The soft sound of nearby foot falls caught the human and dragon's attention. They both glanced around, but took sight of no other figures. A feeling of dread slowly began seeping into Alimae's mind, but she ignored the feeling and pulled back on Dialbas' reigns ever so softly. The dragon complied and came to a halt.

Swinging her leg over the dragon, Alimae slipped from the creature's back and landed softly on the sand below with little more than a thump to be heard. She walked several meters from her mount and began searching the sand for the signs of tracks.

Eventually she found some. Before the gentle breeze could blow them away she came to a conclusion regarding the species of dragon they were dealing with. What tipped her off to the creature's species was the fact there was not one set of tracks, rather multiple trails of three toed footprints. The indents to the sand were only light, suggesting the creatures were only light and swift on their feet; they were only bipedal and were not seen passing. Only one species fell into that category, and they were Invisibilis Ales, meaning invisible bird, or invisible winged creature.

As their name might suggest, the small pack hunters had the ability to completely blend in with their surroundings, rendering them near enough completely invisible to the naked eye. Many off worlders would comment on them as being similar to raptors in structure. What gave them the name 'bird' was the fact their front appendages were lined with feathers, much like the wings of a bird, though they still lacked the use of flight. Their long tails were also lined with feathers, and their purpose was to aid the raptors in manoeuvrability and their ability to abruptly change direction without losing balance. Their vision was known to be infrared and their sense of smell acute, coupled with the fact they hunted in packs made them dangerous adversaries.

Alimae frowned in confusion, Invisibilis Ales' were nocturnal hunters, they waited until night fell and the dunes tuned stone cold, then they would be able to easily pick up other animal's heat signatures, but these ones were out during the daytime, meaning something big had caught their attention and roused them from slumber.

She pitted who, or whatever gained their attention as they would surely not last long alone with a pack of raptors on their tail.

Shaking her head to clear her thought she made her way back over to Dialbas, running a gloved hand through her long light brown hair. Her hair had originally been a medium brown, but after being subjected to the sun for so long her heir had been bleached. Each time she let her hair out of her ponytail the cascading locks would bear blond streaks through the otherwise brown hair.

To protect herself from the sun she wore a long white shirt with a large collar and tan brown trousers that reached down over the top of her black leather boots. She wore a brown leather hat that encompassed her ears to keep the free from sand. A pair of goggles sat perched above her brows, ready to be used in protection from the occasional sand storm.

She pulled herself up and into Dialbas' saddle, perching herself there for a moment before giving her dragon a soft nudge on the side to signal his to begin walking again. He gave a small snort of irritation, but began walking as instructed none the less.

Just as she was about to turn around and head back the way that had come, Alimae caught a cry of alarm. Her head shot up and she looked in the direction the cry had originated. She knew better than to interfere with raptors when they were hunting, but on the other hand it would be against her moral code to leave someone to the bloody fate that awaited them. "Yah!" She shouted, giving Dialbas a boot in the side, causing the dragon to spring to life and race through the sand and up one of the nearby sand dunes and along the top, heading in the direction of the shout.

It was then that she spotted a lone figure. She pulled back on her dragon's reigns and slowed him down until he had become stationary. The figure was unlike anything she had ever seen before. He was tall and appeared to be made completely of metal, designed to look somewhat like a skeleton in design. She could not discern his features too distinctively due to the distance, but could clearly see he was in possession of two weapons. Again, never had she witnessed a weapon of its like, and the only thing she could compare it with would be a sword, only that instead of a metal blade the blade was created by a blue beam of energy, and the other one green.

She would have through the figure to be some sort of droid, but she could feel something, she could feel life within the hard metal exterior. She could also sense agitation and outrage, directed at his attackers, strangely there was not a shred of fear she could sense about him.

The raptors were letting their presence be known, instead of hiding from him they were each coloured in some tone of dark brown with their feathers in vibrant colours of blues, greens, reds, purples, and golds. The most fearsome part of their appearance were their pupiless blood red eyes. They were crouched down and had begun circling the stranger, low growls emitting from them as they did so. If they stood to their full height they would easily be as tall as the metal creature, but due to their light bone structure they were fast. He should have been scared.

"Let's give him some help Dialbas." She said softly in but a whisper so only her dragon would take note of her words. As of yet they had not been sighted by either the raptors or the cyborg, and so still had surprise on their side. The dragon nodded to her statement with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

Dialbas was a good two and a half metres tall and had a great deal of strength for such a slender and frail looking creature. He would not be able to outrun the raptors, but had a far greater deal of stamina. The raptors main weapon were the long claws on their feet and their sharp teeth, they might have been dangerous to a human, but to a well armoured creature such as a sand walker the danger was minimized greatly. Dialbas himself also had similar sets of claws on both his front and back legs and could return the attacks he was dealt, even if he was inferior regarding accuracy and momentum.

"Let's go get 'em, boy." She said with great excitement evident in her voice before giving him another jab in the side, causing the dragon to pick up its feet and charge down the dune toward the raptors and stranger.

Dialbas let out a great bellow of a roar as he stampeded towards the Ales', teeth baring at them as he kicked up a great deal of sand. The group consisted of eight raptors all together, and upon seeing the mighty Ambulator running toward them, with no obvious intention of slowing, three of them made a run for it.

Alimae withdrew her twin blasters and let of a few shots in the direction of the raptors, not intending to harm any of them, only scare them off. She succeeded in chasing off a further three, including the alpha of the pack, which was distinguished by its white and black plumage on the top of its head.

The two remaining Ales' readied themselves to attack Dialbas, but had only a mere moment for bewilderment, when the stranger leapt at them, bringing down his glowing blades with an outraged roar, severing both their heads from their shoulders.

The alpha Ales' let out a cry of dismay before it turned and sprinted down the opposite side of the dune away from Alimae, closely pursued by the rest of its pack.

Alimae slowed Dialbas down to a halt once more and took a closer look at the stranger. The first thing she noticed was his eyes, golden with reptile like slits down them instead of the usual orbs of a human. This was most definitely not a person from Arkainio. "Are you alright?" she finally asked, subconsciously giving her steed a calming pet on the shoulder.

"Of course I am alright!" he snapped back as though she had just insulted his my asking. His eyes narrowed aggressively in what appeared to be an attempt at scowling.

Alimae began to frown, disapproving of his behaviour, "They will be back soon. I suggest you get out of here, have you got a ride?" she asked, retaining her calm expression and tone, only her slight frown betraying her features.

"What does it look like?" he asked sarcastically, a growl sounding within his voice. He turned away from her, his back cape following his movements and looked behind him.

Following his gaze Alimae noticed the remnants of what she presumed had once been his ship. Her frown deepened seeing the only thing left of it was scattered debris. The strange cyborg himself, who she now knew for certain, was male after hearing his voice, was also covered in ash, presumably from the crash.

By saying he had a temper would have been an understatement. She wondered if he was always so snappy, or if he was just upset he had crashed, perhaps his pride had been wounded that he had crashed his ship and they had to be saved, she could not tell.

"I could give you a ride to the nearest city. It would be at least a day's trek if you were to go on foot." She suggested, trying to give him as warm a smile as she could muster while being exhausted from the long day in the sun and being in a mood that reflected her fatigue.

He turned to look at her once more, remaining silent for a moment before responding, "That would be… appreciated." He replied in a calmer voice than previously. He took several large steps toward Dialbas, taking a moment to glare at the sand that his claw like feet were sinking into.

Dialbas gave a low growl at the cyborg, not liking him in the slightest. The stranger gave the dragon an equally distrusting look before clambering onto her beast's back and seating himself. The Ambulator gave a snort of discomfort at the sudden extra weight, but other than that displayed no other signs of feeling discomfort.

Alimae gave the dragon a gentle nudge on the side and they were off again, this time back in the direction they had come from. "Name's Alimae Lezormas by the way, what's yours?" she asked, taking a moment to glance back, craning her neck up slightly to look at the cyborg.

He seemed unimpressed and she could sense he was still rather agitated, but in any case he replied, "Grievous, General Grievous," and with that Alimae gave Dialbas another gentle nudge to pick up the pace. She had never heard of him before and began wondering what exactly he was a General of.


	2. Chapter 2

**~~The Long Ride to Civilisation~~**

The sun continued to mercilessly beat down upon the small party as they continued across the vast plains of sand. Thus far they had been traveling straight for a full two hours, and the impatience of the strange cyborg was beginning to show. He said not a word to Alimae, but she could sense a great deal of agitation coming from him.

Although the human was used to, and rather content with silence, she disliked the nearly ominous atmosphere that it was quickly creating. Eventually she reached her limit and had to break the silence between them, "What exactly did you say you were a general of?" she asked.

She could not visibly see his reaction, but could tell he was both irritated and slightly confused by the question, "I didn't," he said simply. Alimae thought that would be the extent of his response before he suddenly added, "I am the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems." He droned on as though it was a regular and rather obvious answer.

"And what exactly _is_ the Confederacy of… Independent Systems?" she asked, pausing for a brief moment to recall the full name of the organisation, or at least she presumed it was an organisation. She glanced over her shoulder this time to see his reaction for herself.

From the expression evident in his eyes and the scarce amount of skin visible through his mask's eye holes she deduced that he was frowning. "What do you mean, 'what is the Confederacy of Independent Systems'? Are you seriously saying you have never heard of it?" he asked in disbelief.

Alimae turned back to face in the direction they were heading before creating a soft nodding motion with her head, "Yes," she answered honestly, "and I doubt anyone here has either." She quickly added. That was the fact of the matter; it was extremely rare for any off worlders to reach them, mainly because their planet was classed as being in the far reaches of the known universe. It meant that few ever travelled out as far as Arkainio, and if they did they were commonly shipwrecked, and thus not many of the few survived to tell their tales.

"The Confederacy of Independent Systems is a group of planetary and sectorial governments, which have decided to leave the corrupt Republic and create a new order," Grievous explained as though the matter were simple as child's play. "I am the commander of their armies." He added to link it with his previous statement.

"If this Confederacy is a new order, or a movement, whatever you say it is; why do they require an army?" Alimae asked giving him a quick glance. She heard him sigh softly and could tell he was growing more irritated by her continual questioning.

"Because we are currently in the middle of an all-out galactic war. You may not have been affected here on this gods forsaken planet, but to other more important planets it is the greatest turning point in history. The Republic will fall and take its corruption and mindless bureaucracy down with it." He snapped back in response, shooting a heated glare in her direction.

Alimae lowered her head slightly and cringed at the ferocity of his voice. She decided to drop the subject and just focus on the route ahead of them, not that there was anything interesting to see for miles around.

"How much further is it? I thought you said you were going to the nearest town." Grievous complained, obviously not finished talking as of yet. He started drumming his claw like digits on the side of his leg in a gentle rhythmic beat. Had they not been out in the middle of nowhere it would not have been as noticeable, but seeing as the rest of their surroundings was so devoid of sound it stood out like a sore thumb.

A sigh escaped the human before she replied, "We're almost there, only another twenty minutes or so until we reach the city." She hummed back. Dialbas gave a soft groan, obviously over hearing their conversation, and so Alimae gave him a gentle pet on the shoulder.

"Can't your beast move any faster?" the cyborg growled. Now it just sounded like he was bored and trying to pick on anything and everything. Dialbas gave a low growl and without warning came to a halt, refusing to budge an inch. "What is it doing now?" he grumbled with a scowl.

"I believe you just insulted him," She replied, giving Dialbas a soft nudge on the side to get him to walk on, however, the Sand Walker still stood in defiant refusal. "Perhaps you could apologise." She suggested, but was met with a dark mocking chuckle from the General.

"I refuse to apologise to your little _pet_." He hissed narrowing his eyes threateningly, warning her against defying him. Again it was made obvious this was a person who was denied little, and Alimae had to admit he was rather intimidating when he wanted to be.

Dialbas could sense his rider's distress and snorted aggressively before tossing his head and standing to his full height. "Easy Di, easy." She called soothingly; running a hand over the dragon's neck to try and calm it back down again, but the creature was not finished and abruptly reared up onto his back legs with a deep and threatening roar.

Alimae was forced to throw herself forwards and wrap her arms around the neck of the dragon in order to hang on. Luckily he came back down before either herself of Grievous could fall off, giving another snort of upheaval.

Alimae was about to say something when she heard the soft sound of barking, but not the type of barking a dog would make, it was raptor barking. The exact sound that they made while coordinating hunting attacks. She took a sweeping look around at their surroundings, and noticed several bipedal figures in the near distance. The raptors had caught up with them.

Again this time they were not concerning themselves with blending in with the surrounding sand landscape and were instead heading straight towards them out in the open. "What is it now?" Grievous asked. He followed her gaze out onto the horizon and he too spotted the small dragons.

"This is entirely your fault, if you hadn't insulted my dragon we would already b-" her ranting was suddenly cut short. There was a soft rumbling of the ground which caused even the raptor pack to skid to a halt and freeze in place. The rumbling soon concluded, but still neither person nor dragon made a sound or moved an inch, "Don't make a sound." Alimae whispered as quietly as possible before giving Dialbas a gentle nudge on the side.

This time the dragon made no complaints at moving and began slowly creeping away, taking great care with each step it took. They had only covered a short few metres when the ground shook, more violently this time. Again Dialbas froze, but this time the ground shaking took longer to conclude.

"What is that sound?" Grievous asked, barely above a whisper, leaning close so he wouldn't have to talk as loud.

Alimae gave only two words as a response, "Sand Burrower." She said in as equally a quiet voice. She knew the off worlders would have no knowledge of what exactly a Sand Burrower was, but she decided now was not the most opportune moment to fill him in on the details.

Sand Burrowers were perhaps the most dangerous of the desert's predators. They spend little to no time above ground other than to hunt, but they must not be confused for being slow or blind as one might predict. Sand Burrowers were known to have some of the most powerful and accurate eyesight of any known dragon, despite spending most of their life in pitch black darkness.

Their claws were long, hard and blade like in both shape and design, used for clawing through even the thickest of sand and rock. Their teeth could crush bone in a single _gentle_ snap of their jaws, and their full bite force could bite through 13 inches of steel without losing as much as a tooth.

They were also fast, deadly fast. Their reflexes were unparalleled, aided by their advanced eyesight, and their speed came from their three sets of legs. Their bodies were long and they travelled close to the ground like a skink.

Sand Burrowers were also known to have a venom gland that pumped an extremely potent toxic into the tips of both their incisors, so even if their prey evaded their crushing jaws, they would soon be finished by the venom.

They preyed by lurking close to the surface, only two or so feet under the ground, and would wait until their felt vibrations above them before quickly burrowing up to the surface and surprising its prey. Even if they prey was not surprised and made a run for it, the dragon could easily run them down. Unfortunately for them, they had been having an argument right above one such creature.

Alimae thought that the creature had let them go and decided to go back to sitting in wait, but that thought was only short lived when the ground shook again, and in a split second the ground directly behind them split open. Sand began pouring down into the large cracks and holes that had formed in the ground, until the large distinct head of a Sand Burrower sluggishly rose out of the ground.

The face of the Burrower was adorned with two short horns in the very centre of its face, and from each side of its head protruded two large curled horns. The creatures four large green eyes blinked several times as it looked between the small group of raptors and the small party.

Now it was only a waiting game, the Sand Burrower might suddenly decide to attack anyone it pleased, or on the other hand, if someone tried to make a run for it, it might just encourage the beast to chase after them, triggering its hunting instincts over its more logical senses.

Alimae took a glance over to the raptors, they seemed to have an idea, and in the blink of an eye they vanished completely from sight. Although this might have seemed like the best idea at the time, it was unfortunate for them that the Sand Burrower had such excellent sight it would still vaguely see them.

The Burrower suddenly made its decision and shot forward at lightning speed in the direction of the raptors and in but a split second it clamped its jaws down. The sound its jaws made could only be compared to the sound of a gunshot, and echoed off the nearby sand dunes.

The poor raptor it has snapped up in its jaws did not even have the time to cry out before it was long dead. The large dragon gave another snap of its jaws for good measure before slowly sinking back into its den as though nothing had just transpired. The rest of the raptors yet again retreated away from the scene will all haste. Today was apparently not their day.

Alimae quickly gave Dialbas a jab in the side, and the dragon gave no resistance, picking up its feet and bolting away from the murder scene in a full gallop before the Sand Burrower had the time to finish its meal and begin looking for the next one on the menu.

"How did you know that creature would attack the raptors and not us?" Grievous finally asked after they were quite a way clear of the attack site. He seemed rather intrigued by how she had allegedly predicted the predator's actions.

She simply shrugged, "I guess when you spend your whole life living amongst them you pick up a few tricks or you die, simple as that," She stated, "And besides, it was impossible to know what it would have done, I just made an educated guess."

Grievous nodded in approval, "has anyone ever tried to kill them off, the planet would be a great deal safer without those _things_ burrowing about ready to consume you like some insect." He suggested, gently gripping onto her shoulders rather awkwardly to stop from falling off the fast paced lizard.

"Well they have their uses; if you want to travel underground to some of the mines the only way to get there is by Sand Burrower." Alimae told him, disliking his proposition of wiping them out.

The General was taken aback by her answer, "You mean people actually ride those beasts?" he asked, blinking at her in confusion. He seemed to be rather sceptical that they could be tamed and ridden.

Alimae nodded, "If you bond with them they are reasonably loyal," She assured him, "They are just as reliable, if not better than the machines all you outsiders rely on so heavily." She added.

"Yes, but a machine won't try to eat you if you forget to feed it." He grumbled back dryly with a shake of his head, "You people are mad, and your beasts are too." He stated.

She had to laugh at his words, "A fair point," she concurred, "And just a word of warning, the people here, dislike their dragons being referred to as beasts, an off worlder wouldn't understand, but please just try to refrain from doing so." She said in as pleasant a way as she could put it.

"Whatever you say, but I am _not_ making any promises." The cyborg cautioned, emphasising the point that he refused to promise anything to her. "It doesn't change my opinion however; I still think you're all mad." He added as though it were a side note.

"Perhaps we are, but at least it makes like interesting," Alimae said, bringing up what she considered a valid point. "And who knows, perhaps even you could come to appreciate a dragon companion."

"That would be that day," Grievous laughed, "I cannot see myself ever finding the company of some overgrown reptile of any value." He continued, shaking his head again at the thought.

Dialbas gave a snort at the general's phasing of words, but continued on with his strong strides none the less, "We'll see Grievous, we'll see." Alimae said softly, mentally setting that as her own personal challenge.

When she looked back ahead of them again she saw the long looming shapes of sandstone. To be more specific, a city made entirely of sand and stone.


	3. Chapter 3

**~~Establishing Communications~~**

Grievous finally caught sight of the city the human had been speaking of. The creature she had referred to as a dragon picked up its gait and gave a soft hum of a sound at seeing its home. Finally they would be out of the blistering heat of the sun and under the shade of the large buildings. Speaking of the buildings, they were comprised of large towering sandstone structures with the occasional window carved into the rock.

On the rooves of the buildings, Grievous spied several strange creatures. Perhaps the name of dragon would have been more fitting for the winged reptiles that perched themselves on the top of the large masses of stone. It was a wonder how such large amounts of stone had been dragged all the way across a desert in order to build an entire city.

The creatures on the rooves were of all different shapes and varieties. One type was similar in build to a common bird, standing on two hind legs and having two large wings what attached at its shoulders. They were all a sandy colour and rather than having leathery bat-like wings they were covered in golden feathers. On the top of their head and trailing down their backs were a further line of the same feathers. Unlike a bird however, they lacked beaks and instead had long snouts that he presumed housed some rather pointed teeth.

The other most common variety, were several short legged lizards that housed large flaps of skin between their front and back legs, which appeared more useful for gliding than actual flight. This particular variety did not appear to have scales, at least from the long distance, and their bodies were a pristine white, which caught and reflected the sunlight.

All the creatures, more often than not, wore bridals, saddles, and other various forms of tack which he presumed was for riding the beasts. Some gear was far more extravagant than the others, with some covered in what appeared to be various crystals and gems, and other made of crude materials such as rope and old leather.

The closer they got to the city, the more detail his enhanced eyes could pick up. And only once they rode through the large gates to the main part of the city could he see the other creatures that dwelled on the ground. There were several dragons similar to Alimae's, and multiple of the colour changing raptors. There was even one of the so called Sand Burrowers. Apparently she was not lying when she said that the people could tame, and did indeed ride the ferocious beasts.

The city itself was bustling with life. Mostly humans and their scaly companions, but there were a few alien life forms such as himself. He spotted several Twi'leks, Togrutas, Trandoshans, Wookiees, and even a Nautolan wandering the marketplace they were passing through.

Grievous himself received several curious stares from the locals, and even a few strange looks from their dragons.

Eventually they arrived at one building which was different to the others. Rather than being built from sandstone, this one building was created from wood. It seemed to be one of the busiest buildings in the vicinity. Alimae pulled back on the Sand Walker's reigns and the creature came to a stop just before the main entrance.

He watched the human dismount before doing the same. She grabbed onto the dragon's reigns and began leading it into the building. Grievous presumed he was meant to follow after her, and quickly tailed after.

Only once he had entered through the large barn-like door did the General take in his surroundings. The building as it would seem was in fact a multi-storey stable for the various species of dragons. In each pen was a different creature, some he recognised, and others were more exotic species. He noticed that Alimae had almost disappeared into the long stable and started walking again to catch up with her.

He took the moment to glance into each pen and take note of what occupied it. Some dragons were more hospitable that others and even came over to greet the new stranger, while others growled or tried to snap at him. Had he not been in such a hurry he would have happily taught the more aggressive creatures their place.

Eventually Alimae came to the end of the rows of stables and pushed open the gate of one of the unoccupied ones and led in her dragon. Grievous watched as she unsaddled the Sand Walker and made sure it had fresh cool water before she joined him outside the pen, locking the gate behind her as she went.

"Alright, where is it you wanted to go?" She asked with her usual pleasant grin plastered on her face. She dusted off her gloved hands on her trousers before meeting his eyes again.

"Take me to where your long distance transmitter is." He commanded, clasping his arms behind his back in silent confidence. It mattered not that he was on an unknown planet on the edge of the known universe; he would not let it dampen his air of authority.

The female human thought for a moment, placing a single hand on her chin and frowning crookedly, "I guess we could try the council. They _might_ have one that can reach far enough." She suggested, making sure to place plenty of emphasis on the fact that there was only a possibility that they would have one.

"Good. Then lead on, I don't have all day." He growled back, loosening an arm so as to wave it out in a gesture for her to walk on.

He watched Alimae give another frown before turning and doing as told, leading him back out of the dragon stables and out into the marketplace. They walked near enough side by side under the shade created by the multitude of buildings and material that hung from them that acted as cover from the searing heat of the sun.

Grievous took a sweeping look around at the seemingly even busier plaza, and noticed several strange fruits and objects, but strangely enough he saw little technology, no speeders, no neon signs, and there were only few street lamps. The place reminded him slightly of his own home world, where there was scarcely any such devices. He would have gladly taken the time to explore the area further if he had not been so rushed.

"What exactly are your employed as?" Grievous finally asked, starting to grow tired of merely gazing about. He had to keep his mind occupied with something, and besides, he had shared his occupation with her, now it was rightfully her turn to do so.

The human responded almost instantly, "I'm a dragon master, it's my job to train the dragons and make sure they are well looked after in the stable." She answered. Her arms were swinging loosely by her sides as she walked and only after she had finished talking did she look at him.

"What sort of dragons do you _train_? He asked in genuine curiosity. It would explain why she had such a vast knowledge of the native dragons and how to deal with them.

"I train all kinds. Ground dwellers, areal hunters, once I even had a water dragon." She admitted, paying more attention to him than where she was going, "It depends on what people catch for me."

The General blinked at her, "You mean people just go out and _capture_ any dragon they see fit?" he inquired further, tilting his cranium slightly in the side in question. What sort of mad person would willingly try to catch such dangerous creatures just to ride them?

"Yeah. Personally I prefer to catch the ground dwelling ones." Alimae stated with her usual expression starting to climb back onto her face.

Grievous shook his head, unimpressed. That certainly answered his unspoken question. "How difficult is it to train some wild beast?" he continued sarcastically with a frown, catching her eyes again with his own.

"An outsider wouldn't understand." She stated, waving him off with her hand and looking away.

The cyborg wanted to rebut her statement, but she suddenly stopped and so he did the same. He turned and followed her gaze over to one building. To say it was ominous would be an understatement. It was the largest tower-like structure in the entire city and appeared to be situated right in the city's centre.

"Come on." She called, picking up her pace to walk at a far greater pace, flicking her light brown hair over her shoulders with a single movement of her arm.

Grievous continued after her, easily catching up and maintaining pace with her. He took a glance to the side and could see the sun was beginning to sink deep into the horizon. Soon it would be dark, and they would have relief from the harsh sun for several hours.

The entrance to the large tower was made of some sort of black stone and was polished as though it were marble. Along each of the sides of the sandstone walls there large columns made from the same black stone as the doors and reached up towards the heavens, following the outline of the building. At the very peak of the tower the columns all joined together to create a large spiralling structure. At even intervals were large stained glass windows of reds, blues, greens, yellows, and purples. All in all the architecture alone could not easily be rivalled, especially seeing they had such a lacking of technology.

The human began to push on the large stone doors to try and open them, but appeared to be having some trouble in pushing them aside. Grievous couldn't help but roll his reptilian eyes. He had no time for this, and so used one of his arms to push open the door with ease. Alimae took a moment to look up at him before she slipped inside.

Grievous did the same and let go of the door, which slammed close with an audible booming sound that echoed off the walls. When he looked up, he saw that the tower comprised of several levels, all linked together with large spiral stair cases of black rock.

On the bottom floor was situated a small group of humans, all sat on rather large throne like chairs. In front of them was a large slab of what appeared to be sandstone, but was far too smooth to be such, and he presumed it was in the use of a table. On the edges of the stone table were intricate carvings of what appeared to be bipedal and quadrupedal dragons alike, and they appeared to be on some sort of desert backdrop.

The humans were quietly discussing something to themselves, but looked up upon seeing the two new arrivals. The chattering quickly ceased and they all watched the human and cyborg with interest.

A male human that had been standing to the side of what Grievous presumed was the council Alimae spoke of, walked over to them and stopped beside Alimae. She whispered something into the other human's ear and in return he studied the cyborg coldly before speaking, "You may speak with the council." He stated before returning to his rightful place to the side of the gathered humans.

Grievous stalked over to the council, eyeing each of the humans dangerously, though surprisingly they seemed less than intimidated. At first he was confused, but that was when he took a glance behind them. Behind each of the humans sat a dragon. And these were nothing like the dragons he had seen thus far, these where _real_ dragons, the type that legends were made of. Large scaled creatures that had smoke billowing from their snouts.

Compared with them, Grievous felt for a moment that he was only small and insignificant in comparison with their raw majesty. Even sat as they were, they had more of an air of authority than even Dooku.

He glanced beside him and noticed that Alimae was still walking beside him. Part of him wished that she had stayed back to the side lines, but the other part of him thought it would be safer seeing as she actually knew a thing or two about dragons. Besides, it was not as though he could reprimand her in some way, he had not told her to stay out of his conversation.

The human in the centre of the semicircle of chairs spoke up, "I am Tervance Doprey. Regional leader of this council," He stated in greeting, "And this is Karzia." He continued motioning behind him. As though on cue the largest dragon in the room slithered an inch closer to the leader of the council. It narrowed its sapphire blue eyes at the off worlder, intent on intimidating him, flickering its long forked tongue in his direction.

The dragon was in build similar to what some might refer to as a wyvern, with two frontal wings which bore large claws that it leaned on to stand on all fours, and two hind legs. A long line of spikes trailed down from the back of its head, right down its back to the tip of its tail, which resembled a spear head in shape.

"Who might I ask are you, and what do you want?" the human continued. He had a short head of silver hair, not too different from the Count's, and had wrinkled skin, emphasised by a lifetime of harsh sun. His expression was mostly emotionless and he seemed rather bored compared to the other humans seated on the council.

"General Grievous, Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies, of the Confederacy of Independent Systems," he began, straightening up. His arms were still clasped behind his back, helping to maintain his confident appearance. "My ship was destroyed when I crashed here, and I wish to use your long distance transmitter." He stated, getting straight to the point.

There was muffled whispers between the humans, but the leader merely sat silently, retaining a less that interested expression, "I have heard of the Confederacy's war with the Republic, and seeing as our planet it neutral it would be in our best interests to return you as soon as possible," he began, "But the fact of the matter is we have no long range transmitter, you would need to head to the main capitol in order to use one."

"How do I reach this _capitol_?" Grievous inquired, loosening his posture slightly. "I have no ship to travel anywhere on." He added.

"How you reach the capitol is no concern of ours. You will need to either ride a dragon, or walk, just like everyone else," The elder man proclaimed. Now he was truly starting to sound like Dooku, and it was grating on the General's nerves.

He let out an outraged snarl, "How do you expect me to walk there?!" he demanded, dropping his arms from his sides and narrowing his golden optics on the less than helpful human, who still seemed indifferent to his little outburst.

The man's dragon on the other hand seemed to be rather appalled by his behaviour, and let out a deep growl of her own. Although it was impossible to tell if it was just the rumbling sound of her exhaling deeply in exasperation or if it was indeed intended to be a threatening action.

"I am sure there is someone that would be willing to take you to the capitol city." The human droned on, still not changing his demeanour in the slightest.

Grievous was further infuriated by his lack of emotion and was about to give him a piece of his mind when he noticed someone touch his arm. He turned to see who it was, and noticed it was Alimae; in all honesty he had forgotten her presence.

"We should go." She suggested in a matter of urgency.

Personally the General wanted to continue his argument further, but the female seemed rather distressed with the current situation. He growled once more before brushing her arm off. He sent the human a final glare before turning and stomping out the large hall, his cape swishing around and following after his sudden movements.

He pushed the door wide open and let it go again. It was only when he heard a pained yelp that he turn around again and realised that Alimae had followed after him and had, had the door near enough closed in her face. His temper slowly evaporated and he wrenched the door open again so she could get through.

"What do you want?" he asked with an irritable sigh. The sun had sunk behind the horizon and the stars had become visible in the ever darkening sky.

"I thought you would need somewhere to stay, and since I'm the dragon master of the stable, I could provide you with a dragon that could at least take you to the next town." She hastily explained, looking up at him as though she were some child.

"Alright, where is your home?" he asked, calming his tone, even if the remainder of rage was still simmering close to the surface.

Alimae appeared happier that he was calm and apparently accepted her offer, "It's right next to the stables, I'll show you." She explained with her signature grin making an appearance.

The two quickly made their way back through the marketplace until they were back at the stables once more. That was when Alimae strolled over to a building directly to the left of the stables and produced a key from one of her jacket's numerous pockets.

She slid it into the lock and unlocked the door, quickly heading inside, but not before gesturing for him to follow after her. It was rather strange of her to allow him to stay at her home, especially as they knew so little about each other. If she knew what he had done, what he was capable of, then it would most likely have been a different story.

He did as she wanted and entered the small quarters she referred to as a home. In the room he stood there was only enough room for a small kitchen, a dining room table and what he presumed acted as a living room, with a small coffee table and couch.

There were two rooms leading off into the back and a small flight of stairs leading to the second level of the house. "The door on the left leads to the spare bedroom." She stated while rummaging in one of the cupboards over the kitchen bench, "The right is the refresher, and upstairs is my room," she continued.

She produced a strange fruit of some description and tossed it from one hand to the other, "I presume you can figure out where the kitchen and living room are." She said heading towards the stairs.

"I'm heading off to bed, so I guess tomorrow your training begins." She stated before walking up the stairs.

Grievous took a moment to process what she had just said, "What training?!" he demanded, but his outcry was met only by amused laughter.

 _A/N Well this is a long chapter... I hope you all enjoy. I tried to make it a little longer than usual as my exams start soon and so I don't know when I will be able to update next._


	4. Chapter 4

**~~Let The Training Begin~~**

The evening was long and rather on the nippy side. Luckily Grievous had no issue with the cold, and the small house had heating of some form or another. What plagued his mind however was the human's parting words, what training did she speak of? He had no clue of what she was speaking.

Throughout the night he had decided to explore the home, but found little of interest. There was indeed a guest bedroom, and a refresher, but unfortunately no skeletons in the closet, and the whole place was rather dull and lifeless to say the least.

For a while he simple paced backwards and forwards, trying to busy his mind, and at one point had even considered going back outside to investigate the marketplace further. He wanted to see if there was anything he required, but decided against it, concluding that the best course of action was to simply sit and wait.

He had been relieved to look out the window and to see the first rays of light peaking over the horizon, knowing that soon he would have _something_ productive to do.

It was only a short while after she dawn had officially broken that the young adult had finally made an appearance. She came directly down to the kitchen, and at first had seemed a little surprised to see him still there. Perhaps she had thought the previous day to be nothing but a hallucination; after all, they were in the middle of a desert.

From a glance she appeared to be wearing the same attire as the previous day. "Morning," she greeted simply taking only a fleeting glance in his general direction before setting off to break her fast. She was part way through rummaging through one of the nearby cupboards when she abruptly stopped and looked in his direction, "Do you…" she started, trailing off.

She gave a gesture to him with her hand as though that was enough information for him to give an appropriate answer. "Do I what?" he asked rather impatiently with a scowl.

"Eat." She stated simply she responded, using her hand again to gesture at the kitchen cupboards.

"What does it look like?" he asked rhetorically in a rather aggressive tone, "Of course I don't eat." He retorted with a thrash of his hand to the side, adding a low growl for emphasis.

She held up both hands in the sign of defeat, "Alright, alright. I was just asking, I didn't mean to insult you," she quickly replied before returning to her endless rummaging in search of consumables.

Grievous simply ignored her 'apology' and proceeded to stalk over to the window staring out at the vast dunes that were visible. Despite it being is early in the morning the sand seemed to already be radiating with heat, rather uninviting indeed. He mentally sighed, he was not in the mood for trekking through the desert, although, when did he ever want to go walkabout in the middle of nowhere?

He had a few moments of further aimless staring, allowing his thoughts to wonder before he heard an "ah ha." from the human. He turned and noticed she had some sort of white bread-like food in her hand that she didn't hesitate to take a bite from.

Once she had finished the mouthful she turned her attention to him, "You ready?" she asked, taking another bite of her strange food.

"Ready for what, if I might inquire?" Grievous asked, growing tired of her tendency to expect he knew exactly what she was talking about at all times without fail.

She rolled her vibrant blue eyes and cracked a smirk at him, "For your training of course." She stated, crossing an arm over her chest, while continuing to hold the food in her other hand.

"What training?!" he demanded for the second time, narrowing his eyes at her jesting behaviour.

Her face lost all evidence of a smirk from her lips and was replaced by a thin pursed line at his voice, "Well, I presume you're going to want to ride a dragon to the capitol rather than walking all the way there." She stated, waiting until he gave a nod of confirmation before continuing.

"In order to ride a dragon you need to train," she continued, "Though it should be simple enough." Was the last thing she said before pivoting on her heel and walking away from him, effectively ending their conversation before he had the time to question her any further.

He gave an agitated growl which ended in a sigh of defeat as he followed after her. She stopped next to the door and grabbed a large wooden staff of sorts. On it was carved intricate designs of flames and dragons, all singed in black. She then proceeded to open the door and walked out into the street.

Grievous followed after her, taking a moment to take in the busy streets. Apparently the people on this planet woke early seeing as there were just as many people filling the marketplace as the day prior.

The human proceeded to lock the door after he had exited before she led him off around the perimeter of the dragon stables and out the back. She stopped at a paddock and gestured for him to enter. He gave her a suspicious glance, but did as requested. The fence that cut off the area was almost four metres tall, and made of blackened iron, presumably from flames.

She closed the gate behind him and scampered off back towards the front of the stable. The paddock was connected to the barn by a duel set of large wooden doors.

It was only a few minutes before the human skipped back. She joined him in the paddock before moving towards where the barn door connected with the paddock, reaching up and yanking the doors open.

Without warning a large reptilian creature charged out and into the enclosed area. It was a bipedal dragon of deep brown in colour. The creature was easily taller that Grievous by almost an arm's length, and seemed to look down on him as though he were some insignificant insect.

A long forked tongue trailed lazily out of the beast's mouth, flicking in the General's direction as it tasted the air. "Easy." Alimae stated, appearing to be talking to Grievous rather than the dragon, "Calm your mind." She instructed, standing a fair distance away from both dragon and cyborg.

"Why?" he snapped back at her. On instant the creature reacted to him aggression and let out a deep guttural growl, narrowing its eyes on him with malicious intent. Grievous was started by its sudden change in temperament towards him, only moments ago it seemed only curious, but was now baring its teeth and swishing its tail.

The human held up her hands, "Dragons can instinctively sense your emotions, if you're angry, they're angry," she explained in a calm voice, "Just calm your mind. Open it up to the dragon and it will do the same to you." She told him, keeping a close eye on the creature.

On closer inspection; the creature had long claws on its from arms and two large tusks that produced from its lower jaw, giving it a far more intimidating appearance. He looked closer, and to his surprise the dragon's teeth were not sharp, they were in fact rather smooth, designed for grinding rather than tearing flesh. "Is that… a herbivore?" he asked is disbelief.

Alimae only nodded in return, "Yes, she's a really gentle creature if you manage to bond with her." She replied, seeming impressed by his observation.

Grievous eventually did as she instructed, trying to banish all thoughts and emotions from his mind, to be calm, but it just seemed to not work. No matter how hard he tried he simply couldn't relax, and the longer it took the harder it was to not become aggravated.

He continued for what felt like hours to no avail. Eventually he growled and threw up his arms in defeat, turning away from the creature and unleashing a string of curses under his breath in Kaleesh. "It's impossible." He stated, glaring in her direction.

The human simply sighed, giving another roll over her eyes. She had by then long finished her food, and was armed only with her wooden stick. She approached the dragon, which hissed at her, but she seemed unphased. Clutching her wooden staff in hand, she reached it out to the dragon and gently tapped it on the beast's forehead. On instant the creature lowered its head in submission, giving a gentle content hum.

The General merely watched on in bewilderment. _How?_ He thought; how was it possible for her to tame the creature in but a second?

"It's far from impossible; you're just not doing it right." Was the human's response to his statement. "Now, do it again." She ordered, placing a hand on her hip.

Who was she to tell _him_ what to do? He thought, letting out another irritated growl, using a hand to brush his cape behind him so it was out of the way. He approached the dragon again, and again he tried to clear him mind and 'open' it to the dragon. However the result was again unsuccessful.

The human eventually sighed heavily, "Alright, that's enough. I doubted you would even be able to do it. It's just something outsiders are unable to master." She stated, walking over to the gate and walking out, holding it open for Grievous, but eventually noticed he wasn't following.

Grievous was determined to prove her wrong. Perhaps her doubt was the exact thing he needed to motivate himself. He looked the creature deep in the eyes, but remained calm in both appearance and mindset. He took a deep breath, "Easy," he called softly to the dragon that was eyeing him suspiciously.

He slowly closed his golden eyes, but extended an empty hand, allowing himself another deep breath. It was impossible to think about nothing, so he began delving back into memories of his homeworld, recalling its tranquillity, how it felt to be home with those he cherished.

And within a few moments of thinking about it, he felt something, a presence; he felt a similar set of emotions to his own. Slowly he cracked his eyes open and was astonished to see the dragon gently resting its forehead on the palm of his open durasteel hand. It gave a similar hum to the one it gave to the human.

He felt accomplished, but at the same time placid and relaxed. He felt the dragon's emotions. He felt its curiosity, gentleness, and surprisingly there was a hint of loneliness.

Grievous was started when he saw Alimae was now stood beside him, having moved from her position at the gate. "I told you it wasn't impossible." She reminded him with a smile, giving the dragon a pet of her own before heading back towards the gate.

The General moved to follow her, but was surprised when the dragon followed his movements, walking beside him. He looked to Alimae for guidance, but she only laughed, "She's never going to stop following you now," she teased, leaving the gate open and walking off.

Now Grievous was beginning to feel his agitation returning and growled in irritation, but surprisingly, the dragon mimicked his actions, also growling at the receding figure of the human. He placed a hand on the dragon's snout and gave it a pet, causing the dragon to hum happily in response.

The Kaleesh warlord quickly walked out the gate, closely followed by his new reptile companion, who easily kept up with his pace. He noticed the human in the near distance and picked up his stride to catch up with her, which he eventually did.

"What do I do with it now?" he asked once he was walking beside Alimae once more.

The human thought for a moment before looking up at him, "Well, what's her name?" she asked, coming to a standstill right in from of the stables and turning so she was looking him in the eyes.

"How should I know?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes in vexation. He clasped his arms behind him back and leaned in closer to the human's face.

"Ask her, with your mind." She stated, lifting a finger and tapping it on his faceplate.

Before her arm could retract his own arm shot out and grasped her wrist tightly. "Don't _you dare_ do that again." He warned her in a low voice. She tried to wrench her hand from his vice-like grip without success, and for a fleeting moment she appeared genuinely scared of him. "Got it?" he asked, tightening his grip.

She gave a single nervous nod and he released her arm. She immediately pulled her arm to her chest and began rubbing it, all the while keeping a cautious eye on the cyborg.

He came to the conclusion that his actions were rather rash, even if an adult should have known better. Her nature seemed to be playful and being distrusting and fearful did not suit her personality at all.

Before he had the opportunity to admit his unintentional outburst, she turned and slipped into the stable, walking as far away from him as the stables would allow, which was pretty far. She slipped into the stable where she had taken her dragon the previous day, and remerged moments later, leading the Sand Walker along.

Once she had almost reached the entrance of the stables, Grievous went to speak to her, but before he could do so was met with a low growl from the dragon that accompanied her. He wanted to at least follow after her, but the hiss of her creature kept him well at bay.

Obviously she was no longer in the mood to deal with him any longer and that was clearly showing through her dragon's actions.

She knew how to reach the capitol, and she knew how to tame dragons, she was still useful to him, and he needed her if he had hope of getting off the planet and back to the war. Despite the fact her needed her assistance, he was not prepared to admit he was the one at fault, even if he had overreacted.

He had all but forgotten about the dragon that was beside him until it gave him a gentle nudge on the side to try and gain his attention. "Not now, Zerabi," he stated, waving off the creature, before pausing. Why had he just called the dragon that?

Was it the dragon's name? "Zerabi," he called softly, and the dragon hummed softly, nudging him again. Evidently it was the dragon's name, but how he knew what it was, was a mystery.

If only he knew someone with a vast knowledge of dragons.


	5. Chapter 5

**~~Qualifications~~**

Alimae had finally decided to return to the stables. She had spent a great deal of time simply wandering about the market place, astride her Sand Walker Dialbas, but knew that she had to return and take care of the dragons she had, god forbid they go hungry. As she had expected, the cyborg General and his dragon were still loitering where they had been abandoned. Looking rather lost.

As soon as the off worlder laid eyes upon the human he shifted in her direction, watching as she dismounted Dialbas and led him back into his stall wordlessly. It was only once Alimae had unsaddled her steed and refreshed his water that he spoke to her again.

"How long will the trek be from here to the capitol?" Grievous inquired, tilting his head slightly to the side in a similar manor to a dog. She had not expected an apology, he didn't exactly seem the sort of person to regret their actions, even when they came back to bite.

She took a moment to consider his words, "A month or so, give or take a week dependin' on how fast you're planning on travelin'." The Dragon Master replied in an off-hand manor. Thus far she had not made eye contact with him, and when she turned to observe him, he appeared bewildered.

"A month?! I don't have a month, I have a war to win," he exclaimed, finally letting loose his pent up temper, throwing his arms out and beginning to stalk the hallway of the stables, muttering incoherent words under his breath as he went. "Is there no possibility of getting there faster?" he demanded, his usual scowl taking over his visible features.

Again Alimae took a moment to think up a possible alternative. She had slipped open the lock on one of the empty stalls opposite from Dialbas' and gestured for Grievous' dragon to enter, seeing as they were not currently in use. "Not unless you have a flyer." She stated simply, guiding the large bipedal _Vastitas Exo_ or Desolation Reptile as it translated into the pen. Most simply referred to them as 'Waste Raptors' or something of the like.

There was no better creature to ride out into the more wasteland-like locations on the planet, capable of surviving searing heat, rough terrain and minimal water.

"A flyer?" Grievous mused. He walked along the hall again, but this time he glanced into each of the stalls until he found what he had been searching for. "Like this one?" he asked, pointing an outstretched digit at one of the dragons, earning a nod of confirmation from the human.

The dragon he had gestured towards was an Armezonian _Silva Oculus_ or 'Forest Eye'. They were species of dragon native to the evergreen forests of the Armezon region. The reptiles were an emerald green in colour, with various other shades of green to help with their camouflage aspect. The reptiles had membranes running between the shoulders and the wrist, incorporating the first three elongated fingers of its hand. The green colouration of the body and fingers faded into the light blue of the dragon's leathery wings.

When on the ground they used their powerful wings to walk on, much like wyverns. They housed a light-weight, bony head-crest that reached from their forehead and backwards down the dragon's back. Their crest was a vibrant, almost unnatural, shade of crimson red, used by the males to attracting mates. Their appearance was somewhat familiar to pterosaurs.

"Then why don't you give me one of those?" he questioned, sensing there was something she had not let on. He was watching her closely as she set about cleaning the Waste Raptor's water trough, before refilling it with reasonably cool, fresh water.

"Because, 'A' I don't have the qualifications to give you one, and 'B' you don't have the qualifications to ride one." She answered simply. As much as she would have gladly given him one to get him 'out-of-her-hair' so to speak, it would be against the law.

He gave an exasperated sigh, followed shortly after with a growl, "I could care less about _'qualifications'_ , I need to get off this gods forsaken planet, and if that means breaking a few _rules_ I will gladly do it." He responded, his voice dangerously low and threatening. It was enough to send a shiver down the human's spine.

"It's not just that," she began, turning from within the stall to look him in the eye, as much as she didn't want to, "I don't have any spare flyers at the moment, you would have to find someone else who 'as some." She continued, walking out of the dragon's stall and pushing the gate closed behind her, ensuring she heard it click closed.

"Pray tell, where I will find someone willing to give me one of their dragons?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

She leant back on the wooden wall, placing a hand onto her chin in thought and crossing the other arm across her chest. She let out an audible hum in her contemplation before answering his question. " Well…" she trailed off, "You _could_ try asking the Dragon Knights for their assistance, although they aren't exactly the friendliest of people." She warned him. She had, had many dealings with the Dragon Knights, and most of them were less than pleasant.

"Where do I find them?" he asked. He seemed irritated that she was acting so calm in his presence, and she took the hint, standing up straight again.

"Eastern side of the city," she replied, turning away from him to continue her work. She entered the next stall, producing a brush from the back of the enclosure. She used it to rid the dragon's scales of sand and other particles of dirt that were trapped in the small gaps in between them.

"How do I know it's them?" Grievous asked, breaking her out of her reminiscing.

She scoffed, a mocking, almost nasty grin spreading over her face, "When you see a group of pompous know-it-all-s, and their 'oh-so-special' dragons, then you'll be on the right track." She hissed, distaste evident in the tone of her voice, along with the scowl that had replaced her grin.

Eventually, seeing as she was not going to provide any further specifics, Grievous turned and walked away from Alimae. She continued brushing the creature, before cleaning out its trough and refilling it with water. She continued on with her rounds, repeating the same method, over, and over again until all of the dragons had been cared for.

She noticed that Grievous' Waste Raptor had become very agitated, growling and thrashing its head about, letting loose the occasional roar, before going back to shaking its head. It began pacing its enclosure like a caged animal that was desperate to escape. Cautiously Alimae walked over to the herbivorous raptor and held out a hand. It took a moment, but eventually the dragon placed its snout on her palm, allowing her to run her hand over the rough contours of the dragon's scales.

It was then that Alimae would tell Zerabi was sensing Grievous' agitation, and was of course mimicking it. She frowned and gave a sigh, deciding she would check up on the droid General and make sure he had not run into trouble.

She turned from the raptor and began briskly walking through the stables and out into the street. She took a moment to gather her bearings and for her eyes to adjust to the blistering heat and light from the sun before she began walking off towards the Dragon Knights' favourite hiding place. That would be a good place to start her search.

After a long walk down narrow alleyways and crowded city streets she came upon a large run-down building. The sandstone it was built from had begun to deteriorate, eroded from the long years it had been exposed to the sun and wind.

Perched in front of the three story structure were three large dragons. They all were quadrupedal, using their frontal wings to walk on. The one farthest from Alimae was a deep blood red, and the one closest to her a deep sapphire blue. However, it was the one in between the others that caught her attention. It was a glittering golden colour that glistened magnificently in the light of the early afternoon. Its neck, back, tail, and each of its limbs were lined with white stripes. It was the largest of the dragons, just a head taller than the rest.

The riders of the red and blue dragons both stood beside their respective dragons. They wore heavy armour that matched the colour of their dragon's scales, and had large duel handed long swords hanging at their hips, swinging idly with their every move. The rider of the golden dragon was also wearing matching armour to his steed, golden with white stripes adorning it. However, unlike the rest of his squad, he was stood before his dragon, evidently having an argument. Alimae knew exactly who the lead Dragon Knight was having an argument with.

From the distance Alimae couldn't catch exactly what they were saying, being out of earshot, but she had a vague idea. Grievous was towering over the young Dragon Knight, sending him vicious glares, and Alimae could easily sense his anger. The leader, she knew to be known as Arrow, was giving the cyborg a mouthful. All she caught of their argument was Arrow shouting, "… nd what are you gonna do 'bout it?"

Alimae didn't have to be a genius to figure out that, that wouldn't bode well with Grievous and began walking over to break up their little squabble before it escalated into something more… aggressive.

She saw Grievous lean closer to Arrow, perhaps to speak solely to the young knight, before a low hum filled the air. Alimae had not realised the General had been gripping the hilt of his strange sword, and she could now see the brilliant blue blade was activated, ready for use. Arrow had taken a startled step back, appearing greatly perplexed by the foreign weapon.

The remaining members of the knight's squadron had lost their mocking grins after seeing the aggressive display, and on instinct reached for the swords at their sides, ready to draw them and engage in battle. They had never seen a sword akin to the one the other possessed, and they appeared weary of the off worlder.

Behind Arrow, his dragon, seeing that its rider was endangered, lifted its head, smoke billowing from its nostrils and inhaled deeply, just about ready to reduce the cyborg into ash with its fiery breath.

Luckily Alimae managed to step between the two warring factions, breaking them apart with her hands. Admittedly she felt far more comfortable holding off the defensive dragon than the unpredictable cyborg, but she held her ground, "Arrow, I suggest you leave." She growled, hoping that she had dropped enough of a hint. Alimae knew little of Grievous' capabilities, but she did know that if Arrow decided to take him on in a duel he wouldn't come out victorious.

"I'm not the intruder here." The teenager shot back, continuing his glaring match with Grievous. His words earned a growl from said intruder. It was blatantly obvious that neither of the stubborn individuals were going to give the other an inch of ground in their battle of wits. They looked prepared to simply push Alimae out of the way and tear each other to pieces.

Finally Alimae had, had enough of their pointless bickering. With a subtle movement of her hand, the golden, red, and blue dragons all gave a roar, before abruptly leaping into the air with a beat of their wings, each heading off in a different direction to the other. This caused the red and blue knights to give a cry of alarm, instantly giving chase after their 'misbehaving' dragons, effectively leaving Arrow to fend for himself.

"Come back here you cowards!" he shouted, before suddenly realizing his dragon too had abandoned him. He scowled furiously at the golden dragon's receding figure before cursing, and also sprinting after his reptilian companion, calling its name into the wild.

As soon as they had disappeared into the distance Alimae turned to survey Grievous. He appeared displeased as per usual. A moment later and he deactivated his blue blade, still scowling at her. "What?" she asked, confused as to why he was turning his ire onto her.

He remained quiet for a long moment before responding, "I do not need you to interfere every time I get into an argument," he admonished her, adding a gnar for extra emphasis, "It's not like I need you watching over me or something."

Alimae shook her head, "I'm not looking out for you, I'm looking out for the people you argue with." She laughed, turning away to head back home for the evening. The sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon and all too soon it would be dark again. Grievous eventually followed after her, having nothing further to do at the abandoned structure.

He caught up with her, and they began walking in silence, weaving in and out of the various alleyways and avoiding the masses of people where they could. Eventually Grievous decided to ask Alimae something, "Your rank," he began, waiting until she glanced in his direction, "you're a Dragon Master," he continued, earning a nod signalling affirmative from her. "And as you said, that was a Dragon Knight. Are the two positions linked?" he asked.

Alimae gave a nod. An interesting question for him to have picked, but a good one none the less, "Dragon Masters tame, and sometimes even rear the dragons that the Knights ride," she explained, "I know every one of those dragons you just saw, I raised them all." She confirmed. It was why she was able to control the Knight's dragons; she still had a powerful bond with them.

"Masters raise the dragons, and then the Knights take them and go out into the field on their little _'adventures'_ , leaving us in the shadows, so to speak." She continued. There was a slightly disappointed tone to her voice that reflected her thoughts on the matter. She had always wanted to be a Knight, even just to find out what it was like. Grievous seemed to have noticed the sorrow in her utterance, furrowing his brows and eyeing her suspiciously. "But I'm not a very adventurous person, so I guess it doesn't matter much." She lied, faking a content smile.

He didn't seem to buy into her little façade and continued frowning at her silently. When he did speak again it was another question, "If you raised those dragons, why is it you are not qualified to ride them? He asked, cocking his head to the side.

She was glad he had left the previous matter well alone, "You have a valid point. I can control those dragons better than their so-called riders, but again, I'm not a Knight, it isn't my place." She replied, glancing down towards the sand that coated the stone ground. She hated sand.


End file.
